The most important first step in this process is an up-to-date, realistic assessment of the value of your property
Property portals and 'Online guides' are quick to give an indication of what your property might be worth. However, a professional will provide you with the most accurate and realistic assessment of your home.
Armstrong Percival Estate Agents will be happy to provide you with a free, no-obligation, property appraisal.
Appointments are made at a time that best suits your needs and it would usually take 30-40 mins, which would include a thorough walk around inspection of your property.
We will also discuss the specific needs relevant to your own situation, market forces and current demand, previous transactions in your street and activity levels with other properties similar to your own.
This information will help us work with you to advise you on:
The potential value range applicable to your property
Anything you could do to add value, and a marketing strategy that would best tailor to your needs and wants.
Once you know the value of your property and want to sell it now, you will need to choose the ideal Agent to act for you. Do not feel pressured to hire the estate agent you bought your house from.
At Armstrong Percival we work for you. We have a comprehensive marketing strategy, courteous staff and a realistic expectation of what your property can achieve in the current market.
We offer a choice of payment methods to best suit your needs and budgets and you will always have access to a team dedicated to providing you the best service.
Full details of our attractive payment options can be found in our pricing offer.
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a legal requirement for any property on the market. We can arrange to have one produced for you rapidly.
We have a legal obligation to conduct identification checks on our customers in accordance with Anti-Money Laundering Regulations and without this we are not able to proceed with the transaction.
This will include proof of ownership which will be established by a Land Registry search or copying Title Deeds where a property is not registered.
In order to verify your identification you will be required to provide us with a copy of photo and residential address identification.
This could be in the form of a current signed passport, current full UK driving licence, current UK or EEA photocard driving licence, original birth certificate, Local authority council tax bill for the current council tax year, a utility bill (gas, electric, satellite television, landline phone bill) issued within the last three months; Bank, Building Society or Credit Union statement or passbook dated within the last three months original mortgage statement from a recognised lender issued for the last full year, photographic registration cards for self-employed individuals in the construction industry -CIS4, Firearms or shotgun certificate Benefit book or original notification letter from Benefits Agency, HMRC self-assessment letters or tax demand dated within the current financial year.
The vast majority of buyers always use internet property portals to search for a home. Therefore photographs are of the utmost importance and we endeavour to make sure they are very well taken. This will hugely influence whether they contact us to arrange a viewing. We also provide virtual video tours.
Our sales packages include photography and our photographers will allow enough time to work through your property on a room-by-room basis to carefully consider the best layout of furnishings, removal of personal items and the best aspects to capture. Room dimensions and details will be recorded and a floor plan of the property including clear and relevant description of your home will also be included with all our listings.
We will discuss with you the best times to present your property and do our best to make appointments around these times. Many considerations need to be made, including your normal weekly patterns, parking availability and traffic levels, children and pets, light levels and garden aspects.
Following a viewing we will provide you with practical and helpful feedback.
Any offer received will be put forward to you verbally as soon as possible, and in writing within twenty-four hours. You will need to make a response to any offer.
If the initial offer is rejected and the purchaser decides to increase their offer, the process will simply be repeated.
We will make all best endeavours to qualify purchasers in advance of any viewings – but at the very latest, at offer time. By “qualify” we mean that we will formally check their status and ability to proceed with any offer they make. In order for us to do this, we will ask for contact details of their broker or mortgage lender, and any estate agent dealing with their current property sale.
You will need to instruct a solicitor/conveyancer to act for you in the sale. (We can help you with this - The choice of who will act for you is entirely at your discretion but to help you with this, we promote a range of different and very competitive conveyancing options). It is only when this information has been provided and we have contacted the necessary parties for verification of your purchasers’ situation that we will consider whether it would be pertinent to stop showing your property to other prospective purchasers.
It is at this stage that we will try to make you aware of any chain implications and the likely timescale of any agreed transaction. Due to the nature of the buying process, it is important to note and understand that any information provided by us concerning the transaction chain is not guaranteed and could change at any time. However, regular liaison will be made with legal parties acting on both your and your buyers behalf to ensure we can keep you abreast of progress on a timely basis.
Once you have accepted an offer the legal process starts to arrange for contracts to be drawn up and agreed, to confirm payment is made for your property, and that legal title is properly transferred to your buyer.
The overall legal process to exchange and complete contracts with your buyer generally takes the following steps:
Terms are agreed between Seller and Buyer and both parties instruct their conveyancer to work for them.
The Seller’s conveyancer obtains the Seller’s title deed and prepares the draft Contract for the Buyer’s conveyancer to approve.
The Seller’s conveyancer send to the Buyer’s conveyancer the draft Contract together with rest of the documentation needed to form the overall contractual package.
The Buyer’s conveyancer reviews the detailed terms of the Contract, does the Searches and reviews the results, confirms that there is a Mortgage Offer in place, and also checks the readiness of any dependent sale (in the same chain) to proceed.
Contracts are then signed and exchanged at which time a Completion Date is agreed between both parties.
The Transfer Deed is prepared by the Buyer’s conveyancer and approved by the Seller’s conveyancer, and then signed in readiness for the Completion Date.
The Buyer’s conveyancer obtains the funds for the purchase from the Buyer – either directly, or though the sale of his/her previous property – and the lender (if there is a Mortgage).
On the Completion Date the Buyer’s conveyancer sends the required funds to the Seller’s conveyancer (on behalf of the Seller). When receipt of these funds is confirmed by the Sellers conveyancer, the purchase is deemed compete and the Buyer can take legal occupation. The Buyer’s conveyancer pays any Stamp Duty due, and registers the Buyer as the new owner of the property at the Land Registry.
Our advice: The time it takes to progress through this stage is dependent on various factors – but the entire process could take at least 6-8 weeks. However, to speed up the process from your end, we recommend you instruct legal representation prior to finding a buyer as there are various things they can do well in advance, and hence save time later.
This includes calling for your title deeds office copy entries and various other documents – all of which can take some time to get hold of. It’s w
such as the “Sellers Property Information Form” and “Fixture Fittings and Contents” declaration – as these will also help speed up things later.
In parallel to the legal process, one or more surveys may be commissioned on your property. If the Buyer requires a Mortgage their lender will make arrangements for a very basic survey (known as a Valuation) to provide assurances that it’s worth the price being offered for it. In addition to this, the Buyer may also commission a more comprehensive survey – which will assess in more detail the condition of the property and make appropriate recommendations.